News: Gluten-free Grocery Shopping Gets Easier at SuperValu

If you live in the US, there’s a good chance that you shop at a grocery store run by SuperValu.

This, in and of itself, is not so exciting, I know. But…

Over the next three months, SuperValu stores will roll out a program designed to make gluten-free grocery shopping much easier. According to the press release, the gluten-free shopping program includes:

Signage and merchandizing solutions (in some stores)

Gluten-free shopping lists available in-store

On-site personnel to answer gluten-free questions

Additional info on the web

This is good news for two big reasons. First and foremost, it should make gluten-free grocery shopping easier. Less time spent combing the aisles for the right soup mix means more time eating soup, after all.

Second, it raises awareness about the gluten-free diet. There are still plenty of people who have never heard the words “gluten” or “celiac” – but with increased signage, this number will drop. Hopefully, this will have a trickle-down effect and make other aspects of gluten-free daily life – like going out to eat – a little easier, in time.

If, like me, you’ve never heard of SuperValu before, you might recognize one or more of their brands from your local area:

Acme®

Albertsons®

Cub Foods®

Farm Fresh®

Hornbacher’s®

Jewel-Osco®

Shaw’s/Star Market™

Shoppers Food & Pharmacy®

How are your experiences with gluten-free grocery shopping? Do your local stores do a good job of calling out gluten-free groceries, and will this news change your shopping habits at all?

My local Schnucks does a nice job of this, too. They actually have a committee of gluten-free customers that advises their efforts. At the little store near me there are gluten-free products with their regular counterparts so I can pick up pizza crust mix or brownie mix easily. These are labeled gluten-free on the shelf price tag. Actually, I used the same shelf labeling and found out a nice but inexpensive brand of alfredo sauce is gluten-free.

They only use the shelf labeling with products that say gluten-free somewhere on the packaging, though, so there are still times in which I must read ingredient lists. It is a great improvement, though, and I applaud Schnucks for it. In their larger locations they have a little gluten-free section.

My local Schnucks does a nice job of this, too. They actually have a committee of gluten-free customers that advises their efforts. At the little store near me there are gluten-free products with their regular counterparts so I can pick up pizza crust mix or brownie mix easily. These are labeled gluten-free on the shelf price tag. Actually, I used the same shelf labeling and found out a nice but inexpensive brand of alfredo sauce is gluten-free.

They only use the shelf labeling with products that say gluten-free somewhere on the packaging, though, so there are still times in which I must read ingredient lists. It is a great improvement, though, and I applaud Schnucks for it. In their larger locations they have a little gluten-free section.